When American researcher Rodney Jackson of the Snow Leopard Conservancy donated 20 motion-activated camera traps to his Russian colleagues, the hope was that they would be able to snap some photos of endangered snow leopards and learn more about them. After two years, however, not a single leopard was photographed. That’s when the Russian ecologists realized that they would need people who are intimately familiar with the ways of the snow leopard: hunters. This led to the creation of a program that gives hunters the chance to make more money by agreeing to remove poaching traps and to refrain from setting more, all while setting up motion-activated cameras to capture new images of snow leopards. If at the end of the year a photo trap is able to capture an image of a snow leopard, the WWF pays the hunter 40,000 rubles ($620)—the value of one pelt. So far, the program has been a success, with the very first hunter now providing vital information on three snow leopards full-time on behalf of WWF with the help of the cameras.
A new WWF program is persuading poachers to save the snow leopard in Russia
More of Today's Solutions
This Canadian didn’t want to fly from Germany to Canada—so he took a cargo ship
When Will Vibert’s European work visa was closing in on its expiration date, the Canadian was reluctant to travel back to Vancouver via plane. ...
Read MoreSimple movement is connected to better brain health in older adults
It goes without saying that practicing regular exercise offers plentiful benefits for our overall health, but as we age, engaging in the same exercise ...
Read MorePassive cooling techniques reduce AC strain by up to 80 percent
In the summer months, many of us are of two minds: we’re dying to keep it cool, but we’re also dying not to spend ...
Read MoreMaking windows bird-friendly: a crash course on protecting our feathered friends
In 1990, Michael Mesure was on the way to a wildlife rehabilitation center. Among his passengers was a common yellowthroat, a colorful warbler that ...
Read More
